A notary in Texas costs $10 per notarial act for standard in-person work, which covers the acknowledgment on a power of attorney, affidavit, deed, or similar single-signature document. Online notarization can run up to $35 total. If a mobile notary comes to you, expect to pay a travel charge on top, and that piece is not capped by state law.
The $10 Standard Fee
Texas Government Code Section 406.024 sets the ceiling every commissioned notary in the state has to work within. A notary can charge less, but never more.1State of Texas. Texas Government Code 406.024 – Fees Charged by Notary Public
For the services most people actually need, the caps are:
- Acknowledgment or proof of a deed or other document: $10 for the first signature, plus $1 for each additional signature on the same certificate
- Oath or affirmation with certificate and seal: $10
- Certificate under seal (not otherwise listed): $10
- Swearing a witness to a deposition: $10
- Any notarial act not specifically listed: $10
- Copy of a record from the notary’s office: $1 per page
An acknowledgment is the everyday notarization, where you sign in front of the notary and confirm the signature is yours. That single $10 charge covers most powers of attorney, affidavits, and property deeds.
Online Notarization: Up to $35
Texas permits remote online notarization, where you appear over live video instead of in person. The notary can add a surcharge of up to $25 for performing the act online, on top of the underlying fee. An online acknowledgment can therefore cost up to $35: $10 for the acknowledgment and $25 for the online surcharge.2State of Texas. Texas Government Code 406.111 – Fees for Online Notarization
Online notarization platforms sometimes tack on their own technology or platform fees. Those are separate from what the statute allows the notary to charge, so a total bill from a remote notarization service can be higher than $35.
Mobile Notary Travel Charges
When a notary comes to your home, office, or hospital room, the trip itself is where the price climbs. Texas law caps the notarial act but says nothing about travel, so a mobile notary can set whatever travel rate the market will pay.
A standard trip inside a metro area typically runs $25 to $75. Late-night calls, weekend appointments, hospital visits, and rural locations tend to cost more. Confirm the travel charge before the notary leaves for you, and ask for an itemized invoice showing the $10 statutory fee separately from the travel charge so you can check that neither piece exceeds what it should.
Real Estate Closings Work Differently
A notary signing agent handling a mortgage closing is not just stamping one document. They walk borrowers through an entire loan package, verify identities, ensure proper execution, and often print, scan, and ship the documents. That package fee is not a notarial fee, and Section 406.024 does not govern it. Signing agent fees are set by the signing service or title company and are usually bundled into your closing costs rather than billed directly to you.
How to Pay Less or Nothing
Many banks and credit unions notarize documents free for their account holders. If you have a checking or savings account, call your branch before you pay anyone. That is consistently the cheapest option for a single, straightforward acknowledgment.
Beyond that, shipping stores, law offices, real estate agencies, insurance offices, and some public libraries have notaries on staff. Walk-in retail counters usually charge the full $10 per stamp.
If a Notary Charges You Too Much
Charging more than the statutory maximum for a notarial act can expose a Texas notary to criminal prosecution, civil liability under the Deceptive Trade Practices Act, and suspension or revocation of their commission.3Office of the Texas Secretary of State. Notary Compliance Transcript
Complaints go to the Texas Secretary of State. You will need the notary’s name and Notary ID from their stamp, copies of the notarized documents, and a notarized complaint form submitted through the Secretary of State’s online portal.4Office of the Texas Secretary of State. Notary Complaints
The Secretary of State’s office can issue an advisory letter, require additional education, suspend the commission, or revoke it. It cannot recover your money. For that, you would pursue the claim through an attorney against the notary’s $10,000 surety bond, which every Texas notary must carry to cover damages from improper performance of their duties.